


Leap of Faith

by Entropy House (AnonEhouse)



Series: Mathomathon 2008 [3]
Category: Drake's Venture (1980)
Genre: Alternate Universe- Reincarnation, M/M, Prostitution mentioned, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-08
Updated: 2012-10-08
Packaged: 2017-11-15 22:02:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/532249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonEhouse/pseuds/Entropy%20House
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Francis Drake and Thomas Doughty are reincarnated and meet again. This time Frank saves Tom.</p><p>(no actual nookie takes place, but is likely in future, so I omitted to rate, as it would just be confusing.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leap of Faith

**Author's Note:**

> Hobbits give gifts to others on their birthday. A Mathom is a useless, but too good to throw away, Hobbit gift. Like a knick knack.
> 
> Back in 2008 I held a Mathomathon on my LJ for my birthday, asking my friends to request me to write fic. I wound up starting the day before my birthday, so none of them are long, but everyone got a fic. :^)  
> alinewrites' prompt: _Anything with Francis and Thomas. Preferably a reincarnation story?_

(If you are reading this on any PAY site this is a STOLEN WORK, the author has NOT Given Permission for it to be here. If you're paying to read it, you're being cheated too because you can read it on Archiveofourown for FREE.)

His hair was as bright as the fire, Tau thought irrationally as he looked out the window of his tenement and his life fractured into here and now and _then_ and _there_. Down three stories, and across more than four centuries and _now_ he shows up, when it's too late and the fire is just the last in a long line of total shit that the universe has dumped on Tau.

And then _he_ looks up and their eyes meet, and Tau is jumping into the net. It's flying, it's freedom and if _he_ chooses to let Tau die, at least his last moments will be like on that icy cold beach, fearless for once.

Then he hits the net, and it collapses and he's tangled for a moment, lying on hot pavement, before the fiery-haired fireman pulls him up and over his shoulder and runs with him away from the building. Tau looks up and watches as the side of the building crumbles and flows like a landslide, dirty bricks and floor timbers, sparks and dense puffy clouds of smoke. It's the most beautiful thing he can ever remember seeing.

The fireman is blown off his feet by the wind from the collapse, and Tau falls with him. "Are you all right?" the man asks when he doesn't get up. "Can you move your arms and legs?"

"I could. But what's the point? I haven't any place to go." His voice sounds strange until he realizes that along with the memory, he's come up with the accent of Thomas Doughtie. Well, that's bound to make him _really_ popular in the 'hood. Even more than he is now, that is.

"What's your name?"

"Which one?" He's so hyped from everything, including the fifth of old socks, or whatever the hell it was that Zack had traded for a blow job, that he doesn't care if this man remembers their mutual past, or even if Tau has just gone crazy and invented the whole thing.

The fireman leans close. His eyes are blue, and even hotter than his hair. Like looking into the heart of an acetylene torch. "Thomas," he whispers, and his accent almost matches Tau's. Only rougher, and coarser. Well, that would be right.

"Yes. Francis?"

"Yes." The fireman smiles, and then he takes in Tau's clothing. Purple silk shirt open to the waist, gold nipple rings, purple and gold striped hiphugging jeans, shocking pink platform boots. If his skin wasn't as blue-black as cheap drawing ink, it wouldn't have worked, but he knew it did. Business was too good for it not to work. Instinctively he put one hand up to his 'fro and patted it. "Don't do that, Thomas," Francis said, hoarsely.

"Don't act like a whore? Sorry, but that's what I am this time around. It doesn't do you any good to be born poor, black and with a brain."

"Some people manage."

"Yes, well, some people have the balls to rise out of the Medway and circumnavigate the globe." Tau got up. "Fuck, I've broken a heel."

"Come home with me," Francis said.

"You're kidding, aren't you? You're the next thing to the man. I go with you, I can pretty much forget ever fitting into the neighborhood again." But Tau didn't move away. His body remembered what being near Francis Drake felt like. Better than any booze or drugs. Even without the sex they hadn't actually got around to doing.

"You won't fit into it now, will you?" 

Tau sighed. "I can learn how to talk like everyone else again. At least I'm not spewing 'thee' and 'thou' all over the place."

"I want you."

Tau opened his mouth to protest, then he closed it again. "This is very stupid. You're going to fuck me over and toss me out on my head. You know it. I know it." 

Frank smiled. "Maybe. Maybe not. They can fire me, I don't give a damn."

"Why? Are you rich?"

"No, but I've just remembered where some of the money that didn't get back to England wound up. The money that Drake never had a chance to retrieve or reason to mention to anyone."

Tau smiled slowly. "My name is Tau Washington, and I'm very glad to meet you..."

"Franklyn Dyer." They shook hands, which seemed so absurd that it made Tau laugh.

"Well, Frank," Tau said as he leaned on the fireman, hobbling along with his broken boot making him appear injured, so no one looked at them oddly. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I will do what I will," Frank said fiercely, stopping Tau and kissing him thoroughly in front of the crowd, and ignoring the reporters who whirled and took so many flash photos Tau felt as if he'd fallen into a lightning storm.

Tau straightened up after the kiss, touched up his 'fro again, and grinned. "I guess you will at that, Frank."


End file.
